The present invention relates to interactive electronic maps. More specifically, the invention relates to an interactive map that allows users to display different items of visual and/or audio media corresponding to a location on the geographic map.
As computer technology has advanced, atlases have been published in electronic form. These electronic atlases make it possible to include vast amounts of information on a few compact discs (or CD-ROMs). This information includes electronic maps and items of visual and/or audio media. Although the advent of electronic atlases has made such media more accessible and the relationship between electronic maps and such media more direct and interconnected, the prior art did not provide users with an efficient mechanism for easily locating and associating such media with electronic maps.
To allow users to more easily associate such media with electronic maps, one prior art electronic atlas provided a limited level of association between visual and/or audio media and electronic maps. For example, prior art atlases have displayed representations of certain types of visual media directly on the face of an electronic map. This allowed a user to view the media on a pre-determined location upon the face of the map. Although this atlas was useful, the media content and map were not interactive and supported the use of limited quantity, variety and types of media.
In another prior art atlas, media icons were displayed upon the face of an electronic map when the user passed a input device position indicator, such as a cursor, over locations on the map with which a media item or items had been associated or linked. The user could then access a full-size or complete version of the media item by selecting the location, typically by using an input device to issuing an input signal, and opening a separate window, such as a dialog box. Selecting the item via the dialog box presented to the user accesses the desired media item. Although such electronic maps were interactive, these prior maps allowed a user only to see media representations from an exact location, e.g., within a few pixels of the cursor, at the same time. Moreover, the prior electronic maps only allowed the user to access the full-size or complete media item indirectly by selecting the media item from within a dialog box or other tabular form. In addition, such electronic maps did not provide the user with any ability to filter or restrict the type of visual and/or audio media that the user could locate by interacting with the electronic map.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for an electronic atlas that provides a direct interface to visual and/or audio media through an interactive electronic map. Moreover, there is a need for an electronic map that provides a user with direct access to large amounts of media at the same (or a very short) time period and over a larger area of an electronic map. As a result of such increased access to media, there is a corresponding need for the ability to filter or restrict the type of media that a user can locate by interacting with an electronic map. Also, as a result of such increased media access, there is a corresponding need for retrieving and displaying such media in an efficient manner.
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems existing in the prior art by providing an interactive interface between a user and graphical user interface for presenting electronic content, such as a geographical map. For example, the present invention can support the presentation of a scalable interactive geographic map having selectable content associated with map locations. The map can be scaled from a global view down to view of individual cities and towns. At any point along this scale, the user can interact with the map and be presented with media associated with locations on the map. The present invention can be utilized with a variety of graphical content presented in an electronic format, including road maps, photographs, or other types of graphical user interfaces.
The present invention supports the presentation of media items interactively via an output device, such as a video display device for a computer. The present invention allows a user to interact with a geographic map to facilitate access to content associated with locations of the electronic map, including items of visual and/or audio media. For example, a user can use an input device, such as a mouse, to pass a position indicator presented in the conventional form of a cursor over an electronic geographic map. In the alternative, the user can use one or more keyboard commands to move the position indicator to a selected location on the electronic map. If the cursor passes within a pre-selected distance of a predetermined point on the map that is associated with at least one media item, the user can be presented each media icon representing available media items at that location. The user can then pass the cursor over a displayed media icon and directly access the media item by selecting the media icon with a xe2x80x9cclickxe2x80x9d of a mouse button. In this manner, the user can access an expanded version of a selected visual media item, play and replay a selected audio media item, and select hyperlinks associated with related content.
A user can interact directly with the geographic map to access media items, such as graphic and text-based visual media and audio media without the necessity to access the media through the indirect use of a dialog box or other device. This interaction allows a user to select a location on the geographic map and to be presented with media items that are associated with the specific, chosen location and those items associated with locations within a predetermined distance thereof. Further, the present invention allows a user to customize the interactive nature of the invention by filtering and/or restricting the type and categories of media with which the user will be presented during their interaction with the map. Due to limits in computing power of machines used by particular users, the present invention can present media in an efficient manner that provides a user with the perception that the invention is responding quickly to the user""s inputs. For example, the amount of media available for presentation at a chosen location on the map can be restricted when a user""s computer has a slower processing speed. This restriction is performed in a manner that is not perceived by the user and, ultimately, provides the user with the perception that the invention is responding quickly to the user""s inputs.